


The Entertainment Channel

by tia_dreamer



Category: VDoT, Voltron: Defenders of Tomorrow, Voltron: Leakira AU
Genre: Akira is Keith‘s Counterpart, Akira's lucky and Leandro’s unlucky. Or maybe the other way around, And i absolutely loved being a part of that group they are fun and hilarious and. Yeah. Off topic, Cyberpunk!AU, Dante is Adam‘s Counterpart, Do i really need to write out all that?, He has no situational awareness, Leandro is Lance‘s Counterpart, Leandro is a confident bi., M/M, Pana is Pidge‘s Counterpart, Pana is a mission handler, Pana is so fed up with this, Pining, Stupid Boys, Tadashi is Shiro‘s Counterpart, The good ol‘ „we‘re almost caught quick kiss me pda makes people uncomfortable“ trope, The narrator is biased, Which im bad at, Zombie hippos are mentioned, also, because the other one shot i planned for the zine since august, didnt want to be written, either way, i wrote this in three days, im not sorry, in a good way, leakira - Freeform, motorbikes - kinda, now for the real tags, or there will be soon, she didn‘t sign up for this, so I improvised, there is a zine for it, this is part of it, yes this is based on the Leakira AU from August that started roughly 2 days after season 7 dropped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 07:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16850089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tia_dreamer/pseuds/tia_dreamer
Summary: Being connected to the medial ether that was the internet roughly 24/7 could be stressful. But even Pana sometimes needed a break. And while she‘d always used TV series as her downtime, lately there had been something much for entertaining to watch: The cringeworthy and utterly hilarity that was Leandro and Akira trying to figure out how to feelings.





	The Entertainment Channel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Leakira-Zine](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Leakira-Zine).



Pana liked to think of herself as collected, intelligent and logical. She knew she was a good tactician, a great strategist and the best hacker this side of the underground. She didn’t need much apart from a private space and access to the internet to wreak havoc in the world “above”. Information brokering kept her afloat when she really needed money and with her brother in the same city for once, someone actually did watch out for her health when she got too entrenched in interesting projects.  
She was connected to the medial ether that was the internet roughly 24/7. But even she sometimes needed a break. And as so much else, the one thing she did to relax was something else she had adapted from her brother. But where he watched sports of all things and rom coms, she relied on space operas and musicals to turn of her thoughts. Not that anyone would ever find out about that.  
But now, after she’d gotten to know some of the characters that her brother had put in contact with her for information, she’d added another form of downtime. So instead of hacking into an entertainment platform Pana turned her gaze towards the tracking computer.  
It was running all day, every day on a programme she’d mixed and matched together out of facial recognition algorithms, tracking functions and a self-regulating hacking programme that fed the signal from just about every camera within the city boundaries. She could expand it, but it was more than enough since any and all operations she supervised or had stuck her nose in took place in the capital.  
And since Akira was running an errand somewhere around the city she had set tracking to him and the flirty one, also known as Leandro. Because wherever one of them was, the other usually wasn’t far behind, and neither were the most cringeworthy and unbelievable appalling courtship rituals in the history of the blasted gay agenda. When she’d first been introduced to them, she’d actually thought they were a ridiculously cheesy Bonny’n’Clyde-esque couple, but … for some reason they still hadn’t gotten their act together.  
Which was exasperating, and somewhat disappointing (since she’d actually given them a more credit than that in the beginning) but she couldn’t really feel that bad about it.. because watching the train wreck was the most entertaining part of her day. Anything they did just turned out so … awfully funny.  
She found Leandro on one of the upper screen panels, walking along a busy street and looking completely unremarkable. It was impressive how the boy could melt into almost any situation seamlessly. Especially when not in the downtown areas where the underground had more or less seamlessly meshed with the “normal” society. The Cuban boy sped up suddenly, still appearing completely unassuming as he turned a corner into a narrow side street.  
For things like this, Pana was always weirdly pleased with the whole “complete surveillance” rule in the business and civilian areas. Not that she actually thought it was a good thing… it just made her job a lot easier. Leandro wove through a net of back alleys - every single one of them fitted out with another camera - and reentered the open streets in one of the less populated shopping areas.  
The thing about tracking Leakira (And yeah, Hanare had had a stroke of genius with that little compound word) was that while Leandro was hard to track only because he was so completely unremarkable, Akira was a ghost. He had a sixth sense for averting his face from any surveillance or even staying out of camera views completely. It made for quite a challenge, until she’d noticed that following Leandro’s trail usually lead right to Akira. Whether they had a team mission or single person errands - if Akira was involved, Leandro would *get* involved.  
This time too, it was holding true. Leandro cut trough another alley towards a bar that was frequently used by information brokers (Pana would know) and just like that, Akira appeared on the screen. He was standing next to a motorbike - not the monstrosity he affectionately (well, as affectionately as he could be while trying to be a stoic jerk) called red - and Pana was miffed to admit that she wouldn’t have noticed him, clad in black and beanie pulled over his hair, not to mention the thick frames on his nose. There was something else, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  
He looked nothing like his wanted poster. Which was obviously the point, even if Leandro apparently could still pick him out of a group of 100 identical looking guys.  
They never even acknowledged each other as Leandro walked by and straight into the hub. It was one of those places that disrupted any and all camera signals going outwards, so as soon as Leandro stepped inside Pana was out of the know. She could have hacked the system inside, but that was considered bad form - and she needed her reputation intact. BAd things happened to brokers no one wanted to work with or trust. Messages went astray, connection cut of at the worst of times… all sorts of nasty things that could mean the end of someone around here. It was annoying, since she never liked being out of the loop, but she’d come to terms with it. If they took to long - and Akira had pushed off the bike and was now making his way inside as well - she’d alert someone else to retrieve them.  
But that was the beauty of Leakira’s team work - they always kept eyes on another while still both being perfectly capable of handling things on their own.  
But Akira was always the more focussed one for courier work, though he also always triple checked the perimeter and made everything run as securely as possible. Which Pana was thankful for: Getting a list of evidence - faked and otherwise - into the right hands to bring down an arm of the Empire was delicate work. And one wrong word and the whole thing could come down on their heads. But it meant it would take a while for the boys to finish their job.  
Pana resolved to keep herself occupied by skipping through her blackmail folder. It was a printout folder - though of course she had digital versions backed up somewhere on remote servers in two other cities.  
She probably looked at it too often - but it was so much fun! There were printouts of surveillance footage that had captured Leandro and Akira mid-fall into a garbage bin and the resulting garbage-covered heaps of misery that crawled out of there. There were photos of her brother too, up in all kinds of drunken shenanigans (that would teach him to try and babble to their parents. Idiot) and she even had caught pictures of Tadashi working out - after a fight that had left him with an injured shoulder and strict orders from both the doc and from Dante to not do anything strenuous. Not that she’d ever actually use them… they were mostly for the Schadenfreude of looking at them.  
Though if Tadashi ever pulled something like this again she’d totally go to Dante. (And she had given their rebel-dad a stern talking to. It wasn’t like their little group of vagabonds could do without a commander figure if they wanted to have any hope of surviving this game of hide and seek with the Empire!)  
Still, the most photos she had were of Leandro and Akira. Apart from the Garbage Bin incident, she had a few where Leandro had talked Akira into letting him mess with his hair, and the photo of Akira with his hair down in a mullet (and the blush she’d caught on camera as Leandro looked at him) was nothing against Leandro bent over Akira trying to figure out how to use bobby pins for actual hair-things and not as a break-in device. She had one with Leandro staring at Akira’s wanted poster with as lovesick an expression as she’d ever seen one. (If it was obvious to her it had to be utterly disgusting since she normally couldn’t pick up emotions if they kicked her in the face)  
Then of course there was that infiltration mission where the boys had apparently decided to compete on who would have the most stupid Halloween costume (A zombie hippopotamus? Akira had some sort of problem) and the following bike chase where they both had ended up jumping into a  
There was even one of Akira sleeping over at Leandros (which Pana hadn’t acquired by any illegal means - Hanare had wanted to drop by Leandros hide and had found them tuckered out on the couch. She wasn't enough of a creep to install cameras in her friends or colleagues homes) How they hadn’t managed to get their feelings straight after that wake up call though, she’d never figure out. They had been snuggling. Snuggling, and then had somehow twisted the situation in their own heads far enough to not take the massive. Bloody. Hint.  
Pana was down at that particular picture for another moment when the tracking computer let out a loud shriek. Her head swung around so fast she almost fell off her chair. Not even a se one later her chair followed and she was bend towards the screens to frantically search for the Empire appearance that the noise indicated. Any appearance of the underground organisation/interplanetary criminal organisation - people linked to them, jackets with their insignia (usually worn by goons) - and anything else remotely related to them - it set of the alarm.  
That something had set the trackers of now was bad - she had caught nothing of Empire movements planned for tonight anywhere in the city. That's why the whole information turn over had gotten the go ahead tonight!  
The alarm gave another squeak and the frame that still displayed the bar entrance blinked.  
A volley of curses spilled out of Pana.  
One of the armoured black hover cars had been parked outside, and there were sentry robots accompanying it as well.  
This was the absolute last thing they needed.  
Her hand had send codified messages to the boys before her brain had even caught up to the fact that there were three males exiting the car and going straight towards the door. This was a raid.  
“Quiznack!”  
Pana switched to more surveillance cameras all around the bar - covering any and all backdoors and windows the boys could use to escape. If she could use them - so too of course could the empire, but Pana hoped against all hope that the boys would find a way to make their sneaking out inconspicuous. The computer would have send message alerts to Alzina, Hanare, Dante and Tadashi already, but still, she rung them all up anyway. Alzina wasn’t reachable (probably still somewhere at work?) and Dante and Tadashi had been on a stake-out - but they were on their way back.  
“We wont be able to be there for at least twenty doboshes though!” The fretting was obvious even through the phone. Pana forced a smile on her face. “I’m sure they’ll be fine - they’ve gotten out of tighter spots. Just… prepare for extraction if worse comes to worst, okay?”  
The gulp was audible on the other side, and Dante finished up the call with her instead of Tadashi. She tried to calm her own racing heart beat. What she’d told them was true - the boys had gotten out of quite a few tight squeezes - but this was a raid. And the Empire was the type to shoot first and take prisoners later. And sentries had facial recognition algorithms build in.  
That was when one of the back doors opened. Pana held her breath, but out stumbled a drunken couple, swinging, arms slung around each other and obviously of the opinion that a back alley was private enough to - urgh. Pana wrinkled her nose.  
Her delicate sensibilities didn’t need to see this on top of all the stress she was under at the moment!  
The taller one pushed the other against a - probably really dirty, yikes - wall and shoved their faces together. Not that she could see them. They probably couldn't even properly see each other with how shady that alley was, and the camera quality only just conveyed how a hand shoved into a mop of hair that looked suspiciously like a - Pana let out something she would never acknowledge as a shriek.  
Well, the Space Lions get her. That was a mullet. (Urgh, Leandro was rubbing of on her) And the hands belonging to the mullet boy were covered by what appeared to be gloves and were currently clawing at the other persons shoulders. Leandros shoulders. Oh yikes.  
With a still wrinkled nose Pana leant back into her chair.  
She didn’t even know what to think. Obviously, those two weren’t drunk, not that anyone would suspect so with how they were acting at that moment, and they were going at it rather… enthusiastically. But Pana had enough of a knowledge of rom com’s (thanks brother dear) to know that situations like these usually ended up somehow being misinterpreted spectacularly badly in any sort of fiction. Worrying her lip between her teeth, Pana tried to think of anything to do apart from staring at the morons making out - and, yeah, yikes, Leakira. She really could have gone without that image in her head - and simultaneously tried to figure out how to safely extract the boys from their whereabouts. The front of the bar opened again and out strolled one of the goons, some of the sentries in tow. That was… one less problem. But what was going on for the other two not having come out yet?  
She found out a few moments later.  
Which was obviously not what she had meant: To have both of the other goons plus a few of the sentries suddenly storm out of the back door. Another curse slipped out as Pana frantically calculated how long the boys would need to hold off that ambush - while being completely outnumbered - until Dante and Tadashi could extract them. And the odds weren't good, Pana thought as she watched. Not that Akira and Leandro seemed to mind the company in any way, seemingly completely unaware just how close they were to a shoot out. And said company seemed kind of exactly as lost as Pana in this situation, as one of the goons started shifting and the other actually dragged a hand over his face. It didn’t stop her from worrying.  
Pana had to keep herself from impulsively trying to call them, get them out of their own little world so they would stop disregarding a real and dangerous situation. She didn’t in the end.  
And was utterly glad for it too, when she watched as first the sentries rolled back into the bar and then, as something about the position of her two friends changed, the goons left as well, one nudging the other and both looking around before walking back inside.  
“Urgh!” Pana slammed her hands on the desk. This was insane. No one was supposed to have that kind of luck. Then, she did pick up her com, dialling Leandro and waiting until she could see him break away from Akira, and reach into a pocket, only for Pana to stop the call and almost chuck it away as soon as he answered got answered. No. She did not need to talk to those two morons right now.  
Instead she turned to watch as the goons trudged out of the bar and the whole Empire outing apparently came to a close. Leandro and Akira had meanwhile turned to stare into the surveillance camera, obviously somewhat stupified, and Pana buried her head in her face. What was it with these guys to get into the most impossible or dangerous situations only to have some superhuman luck and get out of said trouble without a scratch?  
Her com rung once, twice and she groaned.  
Well then, time to see what they wanted. She accepted the call.  
“Hello Pana!”  
Leandro had a way of sounding way to cheerful over the phone, especially after the stress he’d just put her through.  
“Put me on speaker.”  
“Aww, why so down, Imp of the Internet? Didn’t our plan to get away turn out completely -”  
“Your plan.” Akira's voice cut in, rather wobbly for the sharp tone he used.  
“We could have been out of there before they even arrived if you had just not flirted with that bartender.”  
“I was flirting with the barmaid too! That takes time!”  
Pana winced. Ouch. That was one way for the idiot to prove his nonexistent situational awareness.  
She also heard Akira’s low growl in the background. And while she knew he was gearing up to fight with his obviously-still-not-a-significant-other Pana suddenly felt really, really tired of this.  
“Shut up, both of you,” Pana snapped, glowering at the phone and waiting a few moments to make sure they really would stay quiet for a second.  
“Listen, I just had to watch you two make out in a back alley without coming up for air for over five doboshes. I'm done with your denial. Neither one of you just did this for cover or whatever - quiznak, whatever you’re trying to internally justify this as. Please for once just communicate your actual thoughts instead of making assumptions. This whole thing could have gone completely sideways and you’re waisting time you could spend being out of my hair.” She’d looked towards the surveillance footage again towards the end of her rant and watched as both of them stared at the phone, the camera and each other repeatedly.  
Then she ended the call just as she heard a squawk that would probably become one on Leandro’s incoherent word vomits and stared at the surveillance. Akira had turned away, actually leaning against the wall and playing with the black beanie while Leandro was now turning to point at the camera with a rather dark expression. Pana got the feeling he was shouting at her, not that she particularly cared. Then he swivelled around suddenly, taking two quick strides towards Akira and just… standing there in front of the shorter boy.  
So, this was it. Leaning forward on her chair a bit, Pana pressed some buttons for a secondary screen recording that would be saved directly to her files just in case. And so Hanare would get a transmission onto his computer as well. Just because. Pana continued to watch.  
Leandro was still towering over Akira, and then his hands were trapping the shorter boy in between them (a bit of a futile action, really, since Akira could literally beat all of them in a close-range fight) as he leant forwards. Akira was obviously saying something, hands leaving his hair to move around agitatedly, only to stop short when Leandro pulled off the beanie on his head in one quick motion. Then, suddenly, Leandro’s hand was playing with Akira’s (probably very messy) hair and Akira's hands vanished from Pana’s view behind Leandro. He must have grabbed him by the collar, because suddenly Leandro was pulled down abruptly and they were kissing. Again. Only this time even Pana could se that it was a lot sweeter than the alibi-hiding-in-plain-sight make-out before. Leandro’s hand was cradling Akira’s cheek, for Earth’s sake!  
And they actually separated to hug after a few seconds. And then they went back to not-trying-to-break-each-other.  
Whooping once, Pana allowed herself a moment of triumph. That was the first stage of her entertainment resolved. And she could forever hold over their heads that they had needed her to give them a push. She made another call. Mostly to spare herself the image of more making out.  
Leandro answered this time as well. Not that he could get a word in edgewise as Pana started talking as soon as the call connected.  
“Please get the hell out of there before any other dangerous criminal empires start stalking the area.”  
“Pana, what the -”  
“Get out of there, Leandro. Quiznak, you can cuddle your boyfriend on your couch so i don't have to see that.” Then she, once again, ended the call.  
And to her somewhat reluctant approval, they seemed to finally get the message, Leandro lowering his head to speak to Akira instead of doing any more … stuff and then tangling Akira’s hand with his own and pulling him down the street. Pana just hoped he’d parked his own bike, Blue (what was up with the boys naming their bikes after colours either way?), somewhere  
(She did make sure they got home safe through surveillance again. And called Dante to share that the boys were both out of danger and in rather more...happy circumstances. And called her brother, Alzina and everyone and even her parents to spread the ‚happy‘ news.) And if she would sporadically bring up the fact that they had both needed her to even get their feelings sorted out... Well, vindication was a rather comfortable feeling. And an adequate payback for the amount of TMI and public displays of affection she had to suffer through.


End file.
